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My question is: Do you know of any written material on Wabakimi? I have topographic maps and a friend in Wisconsin is in contact with an outfitter, so this information is not critical to our trip. I just thought it would be nice to read something about someone else’s trip there first. If nothing exists, would you like my friends and me to give you a write-up when we
return?

Richard D. “Bud” Meade
Brockport, NY
rmeade@brockvma.cc.brockport.edu

�����ԹϺ��� Adviser: Sadly, after sneezing my way through our dusty pile of �����ԹϺ��� back issues for possible Wabakimi “hits,” I’ve come up empty-handed. But wait, don’t despair! That’s not to say there’s nothing out there on this true gem of northwestern Ontario, which covers an area larger than Prince Edward Island
and is known for its spectacular wilderness and wildlife, most notably caribou.

Bud, meet Mark Bryant, the newest member of �����ԹϺ��� Online’s editorial staff. Here’s what he had to say about time he spent in that neck of the woods:

Hey Bud,

I cannot think of a better time to travel north of Thunder Bay than in August. The wildlife in the earlier summer months is overwhelmingly flying insects–the hungry kind. Enough mosquitoes to make Dracula appear a lightweight, and flies that chomp any exposed flesh. And they thicken the air enough to give you a permanent squint, just to keep them out of your eyes. But
they tend to their business early, leaving August a good time for hairless mammals to visit.

While I haven’t visited your destination, I did spend a summer planting trees about 60 miles north of Thunder Bay. The country is magnificent, thick with tall confiers and lakes of all sizes. The water is pristine and great for cooling swims. I remember loons calling at night. I also remember a bear mangling a truck parked 50 yards away from my tent.

The weather can be confusing. Winds can blow, the skies turn dark and cold, only to be soon replaced by sunshine. And a day that starts out bright and warm can easily be replaced by a chilling rainstorm, although August reputedly has the finest weather. (At the end of May, I awoke to two inches of snow outside my tent.)

The summer skies, when they eventually do fade into night, can offer a grand view of the aurora borealis. I recall once looking up–sober, I swear–and seeing the lights in the shape of a phoenix, filling the sky. But night or day, the sights, sounds, and skies will leave a lasting impression on any visitor.

— Mark Bryant

There you go, Bud. And, by the way, I’d love to get a post-trip report from you; maybe it’ll turn out to be a place we want to investigate further. Thanks!